The Kira Nichols Etsy Shop

Plenty more to see at kiranichols.etsy.com! Bookmarks, planner clips, digital stamps, ornaments, and many more unique gifts. Thanks for supporting this artist!

Springtime Wall Hanging made from a Laughing Cow Cheese Container

 It's April 1st! The weather has really been getting lovely down here in Southern Alabama! Well, perhaps not the last few days, but it's been nice. Birds chirping, flowers blooming... So I decided to make this cheery birdy wall hanging For Unique Crafter's April Challenge "Paper Flowers" and to ring in Spring!
Stamps: "Birdy Shoes" by ME! Kira Nichols for Stampotique and "Small Web 1001M" by Beeswax Stamps
 It's made out of a Laughing Cow Cheese container (yup, garbage! Don't call me a hoarder. Yeah, I keep garbage, but I actually use it for something! Scroll down to see the transformation.)
 I saw the bird chirping quote on Pinterest a while back and fell in love. The quote is by Terri Guillemets. Isn't it perfect for the little scene? I made the glittery mushrooms from paper clay.
The paint splatter on the outside reminds me of that Easter Egg Gum...

 So, here's how it all went down: I started with an empty Lauging Cow Cheese Wedge Carton. I just used the bottom part and got rid of the lid.
 I peeled off the outer label, to expose more of the carton. It's made out of a lightweight paperboard that just screams "craft me!"
 I used a nice bright turquoise craft acrylic for the outside and let that dry for a while. The paint kinda soaks right into the carton material, so it takes a little while to dry.
 Then I flicked magenta India ink and yellow acrylic ink all over with a stiff paintbrush to make a sort of speckled egg look.
 Then I used some scrapbook paper to cover up the label on the back.  I know there are fancy schmancy circle cutters out there, but I don't have one... so I used an oldschool compass to make an outline of an appropriately-sized circle, cut it out with scissors, then slapped it on the back with gluestick. No one is really gonna be seeing the back, but hey, I wanted it to be nice anyway :)
 Next, I painted the inside edge bright green. Again, I'm just using cheapo craft acrylic paints. They're so nice and bright and so cheap :) They work great for stuff like this.
 Then I used my little scissors to snip flaps into the rim. Fold them down, and you've got a downright fancy edge there!
 I inked the edges of the flaps with a darker green pigment ink pad, then used more craft acrylics to paint the inside a rich blue fading to white in the center.
 Bahaha, okay, so I have this stamp mounted on cling foam, but I don't have an acrylic block big enough for it, sooo what you're seeing here is my stamp mounted to the lid of a jar candle. Hey, it works! I used silver pigment ink, but it wasn't showing up as well as I wanted it to, so I brushed on some Pearlex Pigment Powder in Micropearl and it really made the web pop. The pigment powder stuck right to the slow-drying pigment ink I used first.
Then I started piecing together, embellishing and adding paper flowers, twigs, words, etc. until I liked the way it looked. I had planned on putting a gem on each of the flaps along the border, but decided against it in the end. Sometimes less is more.
Tada! 

So, if you want to make fancy with some paper flowers now, go ahead and enter the Unique Crafter's April Challenge. Make anything, just incorporate paper flowers! There's a rad prize of supplies up for grabs :) 

Have a superb week, friends. I'm about to post a whole slew of projects I've been sitting on. Thanks for reading!


12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, it look´s so cool. I like it!

spidermom said...

so cute, love the use of the laughing cow container! also, great idea using the candle jar lid...i'm cheap and don't have a block big enough for some of my stamps and have been wondering what to use!

Heather said...

I absolutely love this Kira! Wonderful color combinations make it so cheerful to look at.

LimeRiot said...

You are such a clever thing! I will never throw out another laughing cow container again :). Also, that spiderweb stamp is super cool!! Thanks for sharing another bright and happy project.

Kathi said...

This is totally fabulous. Thanks for the step-out photos and instrux!

Lynn said...

What a cute project! It makes me think of spring! Thanks for the tutorial! Excellent idea.

Karen said...

Kira, this is such a fun project! I have been using the Laughing Cow Cheese boxes for making shadow boxes. I love your project using recycled items! Nice!

Deb said...

Oh. My. Gosh! This is awesome! You are the bestest, Kira!!

Unknown said...

Your vision, creativity, and skill never cease to amaze me. Thank you so much for sharing your bright and happy work with us. Whenever I need a lift, I venture over hear and feed my non-crafty spirit with your art.

waggonswest said...

I love the project, but I really liked seeing the progress photos. It is fascinating to see how you built it up! Keep sharing!

runzalot81 said...

What a cute project! I especially love how you colored the bird.

Gez Butterworth said...

WOW! Kira I love your altered cheese box ♥

Thanks for sharing how it came to life. Enjoy!